The Curious Case of Automotive Extremes: Fiat Topolino and Range Rover Sport SV

If I didn't know any better, maybe I would have thought that Fiat and Land Rover talked to each other about using the final day of May as their venue for model introductions. Then, when they found out that both wanted the spotlight, they sat down and talked everything through on how to make sure no one stepped on each other's toes. Well, willingly or not, they achieved the impossible – no one could ever accuse them of even inhabiting the same automotive universe.

This is because Fiat just unveiled the tiny Topolino. Named after the popular Italian moniker of the original Fiat 500 produced from 1936 to 1955, the new Fiat Topolino now has nothing to do with the modern 500 aside from the fact that both can be zero-emission vehicles. The former, meanwhile, is a cutesy member of the new pack of "sustainable urban mobility" models and is twinned with the Citroen Ami and Opel Rocks Electric.

As such, all three of them are fully electric two-seat quadricycles produced since the summer of 2020. Interestingly, these are not necessarily Stellantis creations, as the project is a turnkey program developed by Capgemini Engineering. Anyway, they are as simple as possible, with symmetrical fronts and rears (plus sides), and all feature the same 6 kW (8 horsepower!) single electric motor that draws energy from a 5.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack – giving it a maximum range of just 75 km (47 miles) on a full charge.

Sure enough, Italians will probably say that the new Topolino is cuter than France's Citroen Ami and Germany's Opel Rocks Electric, as the automaker claims the "new Topolino perfectly embodies Fiat's dolce vita and Italian spirit." For now, the company only shared an initial photo of a green Topolino looking decidedly ready to enjoy a hot summer somewhere in a coastal city. Lacking doors and featuring a rollable fabric roof, it sure seems ready to enjoy the beach and the good times (dolce vita). That's not bad at all, right?

Besides, for more extensive trips outside the city, you could always rely on the 2024 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SV, the performance counterpart of the flagship Range Rover SV. Interestingly, both Range Rover SVs feature the same JLR-BMW-sourced 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 (N63) as the BMW X5 M (S63), for example. But one of the Brits rocks a bit more power than even the aforementioned Bavarian's Competition variant – the Range Rover SV has 606 hp, the X5 M Competition has 617 hp, and the newly introduced Range Rover Sport SV jumps to 626 horsepower to attempt a quick skirmish with the likes of Lambo's Urus or the fugly BMW XM, for example.

Interestingly, suppose you don't want the edgy Italian super-SUV. In that case, the Range Rover Sport SV seems to be the sleeker option of the bunch, thanks to its minimalistic design and curvaceously flowing exterior styling. Besides, it not only "combines sporting luxury with innovative performance-enhancing technologies" but also brings a few Range Rover series first plus a couple of "world firsts." Those include the new pitch and roll control offered by the hydraulic interlinked 6D Dynamics air suspension that aims to secure "a near-level stance" during episodes of heavy acceleration, braking, and cornering. Then there are also the 23-inch carbon fiber wheel pack, the optional Brembo carbon ceramic brakes with eight-piston SV-branded calipers, or the Body and Soul Seat that "introduces the latest in-car sensory audio technology," probably to help the driver unwind after some extreme displays of ultimate SUV performance.

By the way, the Range Rover Sport SV may not be the world's most powerful super-SUV, as there are a lot more models that tower above its rating – like the Aston Martin DBX707, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Lambo Urus, 710-hp Ferrari Purosangue or Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, plus the 738-hp BMW XM Label Red. But I am not so sure any of them will be able to keep up with the RRS SV on a winding track because the British CUV has lateral acceleration capabilities of more than 1.1g. That's on all-season tires! And it's also comparable to some track-focused sports cars – even the mighty 2023 Corvette Z06 mid-engine supercar is not far above at 1.22g.

Anyway, the only problem I see with the Brit that's capable of sprinting to 62 mph (100 kph) in 3.8 seconds and hitting a top speed of 180 mph (290 kph) has to do with availability and pricing. As far as we can tell, when we compare the prices from other markets (like Australia), the RRS SV will be more expensive than the Range Rover SV and also a lot more exclusive, at least during the first year of production. This is because Land Rover has presented the new model in an invitation-only SV Edition One format that sees all allocations already complete from day one of its presentation.